Here's the feedback. The meal was a HUGE success. Appetizers: Jalapeno popper cheese, modified a bit cause I couldn't find canned diced jalapeno's so I used hot pickled ones. I made half the recipe, everyone had one or two crackers and a slice of bread and loved it. He brought the dip to the table and finished it all by himself. Main course: Salad with jicama, pear, mandarin oranges, avocado and baby bib and sweet lettuces. I made a quick vinaigrette that was delicious. Their kids ate bread while the adults and my kids had salad. Gumbo was delish!!! Everyone licked their bowls (figuratively of course) and went back for seconds. I made cspitells corn bread but baked it as muffins. Perfectly moist corn bread. I attribute that to fresh ground cornmeal which I ground from organic popcorn. I made 20 muffins. NONE left. He ate at least 6. Dessert: Chocolate chess pie. Well it was a good thing I made two even though I only did it because I misread the ingredients and put in a large can of evaporated milk instead of the 5oz called for. To correct that mistake I quickly doubled everything else, threw in an extra egg and grabbed another pastry shell out the freezer. They vanished. I mean he was sitting there licking crumbs off his fingers and the bottom of the pie plate :) I was exhausted by the time dinner was almost ready so didn't make the souffles. No-one except hubby missed them and he got them the next day :) The fruit salad went down well and was the only dish I had leftovers from. Everyone had a great time, tons of compliments on the food. For that reason alone, they can come back anytime :)

Was thinking that fruit kabobs would be cute. Then in addition have a big bowl of grapes (red & green) or cherries.

Sounds great! You seem to have "3" salads though, one meat, and one bread. I think a simple veggie (not a fruit salad or another salad type) but just one very simple vegetable offering may help round out the meal. (Maybe some green beans) You "could" cut out the Caprese (tomato) salad if you wanted to get rid of something. It's often served instead of a green salad. Although, you may try to serve it as a veggie side, it probably won't work because a tomato is really a fruit and can't usually pull off being a real veggie side because of that. If you want to try to stay away form adding a veggie, you could serve the chicken breats in a green type of salad or even in a pasta salad...making it more of a meal..and you could add a soup... But if the meat is served by itself as you have it, you should have a side veggie, probably something green or mixed.

I'd spring for a cheap toaster oven. The one I have will hold a pie plate or a 8x8 baking dish. Plus, you can bake cookies....six at a time! LOL! I did that more than once after my old stove died for the most part. Don't forget about breakfast for dinner. We loved it when we were kids and I still do it for myself now. My DGM always froze here apple pies uncooked, I do the same and they turn out fine. I'm not sure it would work with a crisp as I've never tried it before. This is a great main dish recipe and the first time I've not cooked steak on the grill. Might be a nice dinner for you and DH if the kids are spending the night at a friends house. Add a salad, starch, some good wine and well....you know.. : ) David STEAK DIANE FOR TWO (Mique) Mark Bittman, New York Times 2 6-ounce beef fillets, cut from the tenderloin (filet mignon), preferably not too lean Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon minced shallot or onion 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, or to taste (I added 1/2 t. extra because dh likes it) 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half Lemon juice to taste, optional Chopped fresh chives or parsley leaves for garnish. 1. Flatten fillets a bit with the palm of your hand, the back of a skillet or a small mallet; they should be about 1 inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and a lot of pepper. In small skillet, preferably one just large enough to hold fillets, combine oil and tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. When butter foam melts, sear steaks on both sides, just until browned, no more than 2 minutes a side. Remove to platter. 2. Wipe pan clean with towel; add remaining butter over medium heat, with shallot or onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in mustard, Worcestershire and cream. Add some salt and a fair amount of pepper. Stir once or twice, then taste and adjust seasoning. 3. Keeping mixture at a steady simmer, return meat and accumulated juices to pan. Cook, turning two or three times, until meat is done to your liking, just 1 or 2 minutes a side for medium-rare. Remove to a plate, and add lemon juice, if using, salt and pepper to the sauce as needed. Spoon sauce over meat, garnish with chives or parsley, and serve. Closely related to steak au poivre, and best made with truffles (isn't everything?), it is about as straightforward, simple and impressive a high-class dish as you can make. If you and your date are meat eaters, you cannot go wrong with this. The process is easy, nearly foolproof, and gives you a few options. Though you can follow this procedure with almost any tender cut of beef (and with chicken breasts, if that direction appeals to you), it's a perfect treatment for tenderloin medallions (filet mignon) for two reasons. Tenderloin doesn't have much flavor of its own, so there's nothing to overwhelm with this rich, flavorful sauce. And it is supertender, which makes it a nice cut for a juicy, saucy dish in which you're going to use a knife. A couple of options: You can cook some mushrooms preferably wild, but shiitakes will do nicely along with the shallots, and add a touch of garlic as well, if you like. And you can add a tablespoon or two of Cognac to the cream sauce and ignite it for a bit of a show. But I doubt you'll taste much difference or note a change of behavior; for that, you're better off drinking it.